Published: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 2:35 p.m.

For Malpass Corner kindergartner Will Jackson, the best part of Thanksgiving is the turkey – mostly because of how you get to eat it.

“He likes to eat things off of bones. He thinks it’s scary, like he’s a monster,” mom Carrie Jackson said.

And Will, 5, is a fan of all things scary, from movies about mummies to old Scooby Doo cartoons. His mom’s still working on the “being thankful” part of Thanksgiving.

“Things are so great for us right now. I always try to tell Will how lucky we are,” Jackson said. “Of course, he’s five. I’m not sure how much of it sinks in yet.”

Will is one of 12 kindergartners from around the area the StarNews introduced to the community this summer. The idea is to follow them from their first day of school through their final graduation, and see through their eyes what it’s like to grow up in the Cape Fear region during the early part of the 21st century.

In just three months since the children started school, parents report bigger vocabularies, more missing teeth and progress reports from school – both good and bad.

Britton Gibson, 5, has already grown up in more than just a few extra inches, her parents said. The Wilmington Christian Academy kindergartner carries herself just a little bit straighter, and tries to be independent, looking out for her younger sister and fetching her own snacks from the fridge.

Britton has also developed a strong sense of dignity, and was offended last week when her mother laughed while Britton sang a Thanksgiving song.

“Mom! Stop laughing!” Britton stomped her foot.

“Britton, when I look at you, it makes me so happy that I can’t help but to smile,” her mom replied, struggling to control her grin.

“Well, still don’t laugh.”

Her mom agreed, smiling instead as she watched her daughter color in her Strawberry Shortcake coloring book. Britton kept the colors almost perfectly between the lines.

Eaton Elementary kindergartner Gavin Reider, 5, has undergone an even bigger transformation since the summer. His long blond hair, once past his shoulders, has been snipped short. Gavin requested it, mom Sara Reider said, so he’d look more like the other boys in his class. He got tired of being mistaken for a girl.

“I miss his hair, but he really likes it this way,” Reider said. “Although at first he did ask if we could put the old hair back on.”

The children have changed in more than just physical appearance. Will has added restaurant server, serpent handler and veterinarian to his list of future job options – “I’ll decide which one I want when I grow up to be big and tall,” he said. Britton has switched ambitions entirely, from cowgirl to teacher.

“Because it’s more bossy,” she explained.

Will has gotten better at listening and taking turns since he started kindergarten, dad Brian Jackson said, but he’s still very much his own man.

“Will’s a director. He doesn’t necessarily do a lot in terms of playing himself – he tells you what he wants you to do to play with him,” Jackson said, as Will did a series of karate kicks around the room, then started instructing his dad in rules he’d made up for a card game involving mummies and pyramids.

“When he gets older, he’ll definitely be in charge in some way,” Brian Jackson said.

The transition to kindergarten initially had some bumps in the road for Gavin, who has moderate autism that slowed his speech development and left him lacking a sense of some of the social cues his friends take for granted. Gavin goes to a mainstream class at Eaton, with specialized instruction a few times a week. He’s had to learn to focus, and to be careful to give everyone personal space.

“He came home really tired for the first month or so,” Reider said.

Now Gavin jumps off the school bus chattering about all his friends – including three girlfriends, he tells his mother – and what he did in school that day.

On Monday, that included making Pilgrim costumes out of construction paper. Gavin liked his so much, he decided his whole family needed to be Pilgrims. He set to work with scissors, string and a big box of crayons, then ambushed his dad in the kitchen. When Brett Reider finally adjusted the costume to his son’s satisfaction, Gavin’s face lit up.

“Pilgrims! That’s what we are!” he shouted. His own tall black construction paper hat wobbled slightly as he jumped up and down and pumped his fists in the air like a champion prizefighter.

“He’s always gotten excited about any little event, and holidays are a big deal,” his mom said. “That makes them more exciting for everybody.”

<p>For Malpass Corner kindergartner Will Jackson, the best part of <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/holidays01"><b>Thanksgiving</b></a> is the turkey – mostly because of how you get to eat it.</p><p>“He likes to eat things off of bones. He thinks it's scary, like he's a monster,” mom Carrie Jackson said.</p><p>And Will, 5, is a fan of all things scary, from movies about mummies to old Scooby Doo cartoons. His mom's still working on the “being thankful” part of Thanksgiving.</p><p>“Things are so great for us right now. I always try to tell Will how lucky we are,” Jackson said. “Of course, he's five. I'm not sure how much of it sinks in yet.”</p><p>Will is one of 12 kindergartners from around the area the StarNews introduced to the community this summer. The idea is to follow them from their first day of school through their final graduation, and see through their eyes what it's like to grow up in the Cape Fear region during the early part of the 21st century.</p><p>In just three months since the children started school, parents report bigger vocabularies, more missing teeth and progress reports from school – both good and bad.</p><p>Britton Gibson, 5, has already grown up in more than just a few extra inches, her parents said. The Wilmington Christian Academy kindergartner carries herself just a little bit straighter, and tries to be independent, looking out for her younger sister and fetching her own snacks from the fridge.</p><p>“She's looking older, losing that baby look,” mom Renee Gibson said. “She's still my baby girl, but she's growing out of her baby phase.”</p><p>Britton has also developed a strong sense of dignity, and was offended last week when her mother laughed while Britton sang a Thanksgiving song.</p><p>“Mom! Stop laughing!” Britton stomped her foot.</p><p>“Britton, when I look at you, it makes me so happy that I can't help but to smile,” her mom replied, struggling to control her grin.</p><p>“Well, still don't laugh.”</p><p>Her mom agreed, smiling instead as she watched her daughter color in her Strawberry Shortcake coloring book. Britton kept the colors almost perfectly between the lines.</p><p>Eaton Elementary kindergartner Gavin Reider, 5, has undergone an even bigger transformation since the summer. His long blond hair, once past his shoulders, has been snipped short. Gavin requested it, mom Sara Reider said, so he'd look more like the other boys in his class. He got tired of being mistaken for a girl.</p><p>“I miss his hair, but he really likes it this way,” Reider said. “Although at first he did ask if we could put the old hair back on.”</p><p>The children have changed in more than just physical appearance. Will has added restaurant server, serpent handler and veterinarian to his list of future job options – “I'll decide which one I want when I grow up to be big and tall,” he said. Britton has switched ambitions entirely, from cowgirl to teacher.</p><p>“Because it's more bossy,” she explained.</p><p>Will has gotten better at listening and taking turns since he started kindergarten, dad Brian Jackson said, but he's still very much his own man.</p><p>“Will's a director. He doesn't necessarily do a lot in terms of playing himself – he tells you what he wants you to do to play with him,” Jackson said, as Will did a series of karate kicks around the room, then started instructing his dad in rules he'd made up for a card game involving mummies and pyramids. </p><p>“When he gets older, he'll definitely be in charge in some way,” Brian Jackson said.</p><p>The transition to kindergarten initially had some bumps in the road for Gavin, who has moderate autism that slowed his speech development and left him lacking a sense of some of the social cues his friends take for granted. Gavin goes to a mainstream class at Eaton, with specialized instruction a few times a week. He's had to learn to focus, and to be careful to give everyone personal space.</p><p>“He came home really tired for the first month or so,” Reider said.</p><p>Now Gavin jumps off the school bus chattering about all his friends – including three girlfriends, he tells his mother – and what he did in school that day.</p><p>On Monday, that included making Pilgrim costumes out of construction paper. Gavin liked his so much, he decided his whole family needed to be Pilgrims. He set to work with scissors, string and a big box of crayons, then ambushed his dad in the kitchen. When Brett Reider finally adjusted the costume to his son's satisfaction, Gavin's face lit up.</p><p>“Pilgrims! That's what we are!” he shouted. His own tall black construction paper hat wobbled slightly as he jumped up and down and pumped his fists in the air like a champion prizefighter.</p><p>“He's always gotten excited about any little event, and holidays are a big deal,” his mom said. “That makes them more exciting for everybody.”</p><p>Chelsea Kellner: 343-2070</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>.com: @ReporterChelsea</p>